Learn how to fear
by Seneti
Summary: In a clash between to alien races, even those who were trained not to be frightened, will learn the meaning of fear. AvP movie POV for the Adele Rousseau character. Rating has been changed with chapter 3. Just to be safe. COMPLETED
1. Of fire and Ice

**I – Of fire and ice**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own AvP or any of the characters from the movie. This story however does.

**A.N.: **Many people here on have written an AvP-POV for Lex or even Scar, but what about the other characters? Take Adele Rousseau for example. What's the reason behind introducing characters by name if you kill them off anyway? Therefore, I have decided to write a POV for Adele Rousseau. She was my favourite and I hope this does her justice.

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The sun had slowly begun to set as we finally found the entrance to the mine. The dying fireball cast rays of dim gold and orange onto the leaves above my head and the overgrown rocks in front of us. Brushing away one of the myriad of liana that covered the writings on the mine's entrance, I gave a short nod at our language expert. He was a small guy, dressed in clothes that made him look like a mini version of Indiana Jones. Just without weapons. As he stepped closer to examine the writings, I stepped back carefully and roamed my surroundings once again.

I didn't like the jungle that much. I liked the warmth, the heat, the showers that came down with promising regularity and the small chirps of the wildlife around me. I liked the lush green of the leaves, the trunks that grew higher and higher and always again made me marvel at Mother Nature and the beauty she offered. I liked the countless colours that caught my eye, the beautiful blossoms of what I knew where deadly plants. I even liked the tigers that I knew wandered the jungle, although they could be deadly enemies, especially with all those clueless and unarmed scientists around me. The tiger was my Chinese zodiac and I had always been fascinated by the strength, grace and sheer, wild beauty of nature that these animals represented.

What I didn't like, was the tricks that the jungle played on my mind and every single one of us.

First and foremost, there was the tricky depth of the flora that lured one so easily into death traps. Being a child of curiosity myself, I knew how hard it was not to give in to the temptations and walk the mysterious paths that lay hidden behind the green curtains. I remembered vividly when I was a child, growing up in France. We had been living close to the woods and whenever I saw a new, half-trampled path that lead somewhere new, I had to take it. I learned all my lessons the hard way and many pale scars on my arms, leg and some little ones on my face where the proof of just how dumb these decisions had been at times.

It hadn't been a problem then. In the woods where we had lived there were no tigers, no steep slopes that you could roll down just to break every bone in your body. And most important, there were no unaccounted for tribes of indigenous people who would throw spears at you or use poison tipped arrows to bring you down and possibly cook you for dinner.

That was my second reason for… not preferring the jungle. I didn't hate it, but the sheer possibility of these threats was – while interesting and tempting – something that dampened the joyful experience. Of course, my thoughts about the aboriginal people were simply stereotypical, but I'd rather expect the worst and hope the best, than the other way around. If they were friendly, good for us. If they were not, I didn't want to stick around to find it out the hard way.

But all this was not the problem. I was trained to fight both men and beast if necessary. I was trained to make my way through uneven terrain. I was trained to protecting people like the language expert and I had no problem with my job. It gave me satisfaction to know that I was needed, that I was doing something good. My job also kept me on my toes, quenching my thirst for ever new experiences, dangers and challenges. I liked my job as long as I knew that I could handle what I saw and heard. And there, I had my problem with the jungle.

I hated – not just disliked, no, I HATED – the tricks it played on my senses. The way I heard noises when there was nothing to make a noise. The way the shadows of giant trees moved constantly, always hiding from our view things that would vanish within seconds. The way the air rippled in front of my eyes, due to the heat. The spooky way the flora and fauna of this place surrounded me until I couldn't even tell whether I was walking in the right direction. And though all of us had been equipped with the technological means to counter these apparitions, they still made me feel uncomfortable. If there was anything that I hated more than being bored, it was being played tricks by my own mind.

The mini Indiana Jones walked up to me and pointed back at the entrance. He babbled something about ancient civilisations, about trinkets mentioned on the entrance tablet. Gems. Probably diamonds. He didn't know and I didn't bother. Nodding my head every once in a while I silently motioned my second in command to come and join us. From where I stood, the mine looked like nothing but a black hole leading into the deadly nothingness of some godforsaken ancient mineral deposit at the feet of the Himalaya. I didn't need to ask the other experts – mostly scientists of geology – for their "professional" opinion. They all looked as eager as my little friend here to walk right into what they didn't know and could possibly kill them. A few years ago, I would have frowned at that, but six years in Weyland's service had taught me to live with the fact that 99 per cent of all people were simply oblivious to danger.

My pager went of right as my comrade stood next to me and I grabbed quickly for my mobile radio. The number on the pager was that of Weyland. Turning away and taking a few steps, I pushed the button and spoke. "This is Rousseau. Mr. Weyland?"

"You sound a little unnerved, Adele." I heard his raspy voice crook through the radio, the occasional crackling noise interfering every now and then. I smiled shortly at the sentence before casting a quick glance at the scientists who were eagerly waiting in front of the entrance, my team keeping them from doing anything stupid. Or so I hoped. "They behave like little children over a llama in a petting zoo." I answered, my accent strengthened by the frustration in my voice. Immediately, I heard his soft chuckle at the end of the line. "Poor girl."

I gave the words a quick grin. The pity in his voice was half genuine and half amused, I knew. I had been working for security for almost eight years, but I had never met anyone like Charles Bishop Weyland. He was more like a father than like a boss towards his employees and I enjoyed the flair of familiarity in the corporation, the fact that most of us knew each other not only by name, but also personally. Somewhere along the way, the company had become my family.

"Shall I relieve you from this dreadful situation?"

"Where am I to go?" I knew already that it was not a question. It was command, an order, but I didn't care. As a matter of fact, I had enough of the jungle. I had spent nine days here in India and I was more than ready for a change. "It'd better not be some place hot. I already feel like a turkey in an oven." His rough chuckle came through with a crackle of the radio and I gave another look at where the sunlight came from. Darkness was slowly descending upon us. The dim gold had become orange and I knew it would soon be a heavy shade of red, before – all of a sudden – darkness would have overcome us. It would be a short conversation then.

"Oh, don't worry, the place is cool enough. A chopper will be waiting for you at the village tomorrow at 1500. Good night, Adele."

"Until tomorrow then. Good night." Switching the radio off, I turned back to face mini Indiana Jones and Hyes again. "We're setting up camp here tonight. " I said briskly before approaching the rest of my team and the scientists and clapping my hands to get their attention. "Listen up, everyone! We are setting up camp here tonight. You can start exploring the mine tomorrow, but for tonight, we are done. Starting tomorrow morning, Hyes will lead this team. Understood?" Affirmative phrases were muttered and I turned around only to find Hyes standing before me. Being one head shorter than he, I had to crane up my neck to look at his puzzled face. "Adele, what's going on?" I smiled shortly at his confusion before packing the radio back into one of my pockets. "I have to leave. Chopper will be waiting for me at 15000 at the village. Orders right from the boss."

"Lucky you. Where're ya going?"

"I don't know." I said simply and turn around to go and help setting up the tents. A thought struck my mind then and I turned back once again. Knowing that Hyes was just as tired of this jungle as I was, I smirked mischievously. "But he said it's some place cool."

-x-x-

I arrived at the village just in time to see the helicopter land. Charles Bishop Weyland was not a man who wasted time. I knew that and he had probably known that – even if everything went as smooth as it did – I would not reach the village before 1400. Glancing at my watch, I noticed that I still had a few minutes left and so I went to the little market, the centre of the village, to get myself something to eat. I had thought of taking water with me, but I hadn't accounted for the fact that the path back to the village led up the valley, leaving me with a softly growling stomach for the last two kilometres. It certainly wouldn't kill me, but still I preferred eating something before I took my leave.

My eyes quickly found the stand I had been looking for. On the ground before me lay a hand-woven carpet, and on it lay the fruit that I had so come to love since we had first come to this village. We had spent most of the nights here at the village and after three days knew perfectly what to eat and what not. The melon-like fruit had become my favourite, although I still couldn't pronounce its name. Smiling shortly at the man behind the carpet, I indicated the melon, showing two fingers and gave him the money. Immediately, I got two of the fruits handed to me, answered by a bowing of his head that I quickly returned. We didn't need to talk. I had become a regular guest and the only thing that ever varied in my order was the amount. Packing one of the fruits into my bag and taking out my pocket knife, I returned to the chopper. I had almost finished carving up my melon when I found myself standing directly in front of Maxwell Stafford.

"Max?" I gasped in surprise and he gave me that I-know-it-all-smile that was so typical of him. I didn't really know what to think about Max. He could be fun to be with at times, but he could also be the most arrogant asshole I had ever met and so I usually avoided spending too much time in his company. To see him standing there, in front of me, was more than just a surprise. He was Charles' advisor, his right hand and probably also the closest thing to a friend that Charles had. It was rare for Charles to send HIM out to pick up people and immediately I felt the first twinge of suspicion inside me. Something was not right. "I'm a little surprised to see you." I finally managed and his smile turned into soft chuckles as he led me back to the helicopter.

"Charles asked me to come and pick you up, but I'm afraid we will not even have the time to talk. I still have to pick up another… guest for the next expedition and I am only here to present you with the facts."

I hadn't even finished cutting off the first bit of my melon when we stopped in front of a chopper. Not the one from before, my mind added. Stopping chewing immediately, I glanced up and down the huge machine. This one was simple, plain and did not have the Weyland logo on it. The other one had. After a quick search of my surroundings, I found it only a few metres away. "Okay, Max, what the hell is going on here?" My question was answered with a smile and a file of papers that suddenly landed in my hands. Juggling with my knife, the lemon and the file in order not to lose one of them, I watched as Max smirked again and left. I would never understand that man, I finally decided for myself. Cursing him shortly in my mother tongue I get into the chopper and signalled the pilot to start the engine, all the while feeling that I had just left one hell for another.

-x-x-

My assumptions were proven correct as I went through the papers, the noise of the flying helicopter all around me and a piece of melon between my teeth. I didn't have to ask the pilot where we were heading.

The papers spoke of an Island called Bouvetoya and I took a look at the attached map to find out just where in God's name we were going. I caught sight of the degrees of longitude and latitude and immediately coughed out the piece I had been chewing on. I read the report twice to make sure that I really read what I read, but I soon realised that this was neither a dream nor a bad joke.

Antarctica.

For God's mercy, Antarctica! I wanted to scream, to kick, to smash something, but my anger soon dissolved. I had left the hell of fire for the hell of ice, but I knew that there was nothing I could do about it anymore. If Charles wanted me to go to Antarctica, then to Antarctica I would go. I had wanted to go to a "cool" place - now I was. A bitter laugh escaped my mouth as the irony of these words seeped in. What the heck had I gotten myself into?

And there I had it. I. It was a simple matter of fact. I. If there was someone to blame for what happened to me, it was me, and only me. I could have said no. I could have declined and even though I was sure Charles would not have been happy with my decision, I knew that he would have come to accept it eventually. He wasn't one to force people into working for him. I was the one who had wished to leave the jungle. And after all, Antarctica didn't sound as bad as India.

It was true it would be a very, very "cool" expedition and I wondered shortly whom he had picked to lead us. It didn't really matter. Antarctica was barren, yes but it was also a beautiful land, a pure land, a wild land. A land that one had to tame. A challenge. Just the way I like it. And besides, I doubted it would be half as bad as the jungle. No dangerous wildlife that would want to kill me, no shimmering apparitions in the air that would make me feel like there was something, when clearly there was not. No indigenous people to drive spears through my body. Yes, Antarctica didn't sound too bad.

Having finished my melon, I quickly cleaned up my knife and put it back into my bag. "Do we expect any more visitors, or are we going straight for the island?" I called out to the Island and the short answer I got was "no, madam". Deciding that I could very well take a little nap before the real fun would begin, I put my feet up on the bench and leaned back against the hull of the chopper, packing my jacket in between the metal and my head. I felt my attention drift quickly and a smile crossed my lips. This was definitely better than the jungle.


	2. Encounters

**II – Encounters**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own AvP or any of the characters. I do however own this story.

**A.N.: **Not much to say about this chapter, but in case anybody wonders why some of the scenes from this chapter are not in the movie: I took some from script (to be found on avp galaxy . net). The script features some nice scenes that really give more depth to the characters. Oh, and thanks to The Oracle Dragon for the first review

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By the time we arrived at the ice breaker, all traces that I carried of the jungle were gone. I had awoken nothing more than twenty minutes from the ship as my growling stomach reminded me that I still hadn't eaten anything but a few slices of the melon fruit since I had gotten up in the morning. As I had sat in the chopper, quickly cutting up the rest of the fruit and finishing my "meal", I was reminded of my first trip to an ice-covered region.

I had not been working for Charles then. It was the fourth expedition that I had joined after taking my first job as security personnel. I also remembered that the guide they had hired for us had been nothing short of a complete disappointment. Luckily, I didn't remember the bastard's name. Two of the scientists with us hadn't survived the trip to the northernmost tip of Alaska, one of them dying in the cold, one in a crevice at the edge of the shelf. One of my colleagues had caught frostbite on both legs and had shot himself a month later out of despair. Wincing at the memory, I rolled up the right leg of my trousers to see the long, nasty scar that stretched all over the side of my shin. Oh yes, the bastard was really lucky I couldn't recall his name.

The landing was rougher than usual, due to the storm that was slowly gathering around us and I pitied the ones Maxwell would send after us. The weather would hit them full force. As I finally felt the solid ground of the ice breaker beneath my feet, I let out a deep sigh. As much as I loved flying, turbulences always freaked me out. From the edge of the platform, a familiar figure waved his hand, motioning me to join him. A smile on my lips, I walked over and extended my hand. "Mark…"

"Welcome at the end of the world, Adele." My colleague answered with a grin that I quickly returned. The wind got stronger and I could feel the snow flakes starting to nest in my hair. Noticing my discomfort, he led me down the platform and into the ship. I stopped once we reached the hallways, grateful for the warmth, even though the grey halls dampened my mood. I hated those plain, grey walls.

"Any idea why we were called here?" I questioned, but all I got in response was a shake of his head. Brushing the snow out of my spiky hair, I joined him as he walked down the hall.

Mark Verheiden had always been a man of few words. Most on the team described him as moody, grumpy, cold-hearted and even inhuman, but only few knew him for the person that he really was. When the team was reduced to its core – Mark, Maxwell, Joe and I - the icy attitude around him would melt. The four of us were a small team of our own and the respect between each of us amazed me daily. What even surprised me more were the faces that I saw when work was over. For Max it never was, but Joe, Mark and I would often go for a drink after work was done, enjoying a beer together in the nearest pub, talking about the adventures that we had already been on and of course poking fun at the naïve scientists we constantly had to protect. It was those blissful hours when Mark Verheiden could be seen for the person that he was – a friend who would never let his people down, a father and husband who loved his wife and son more than anything else in the world and a man who was just as dedicated to the job as the rest of us, which meant dedication up to the point of total submission. He was a man of the absolute, someone who would not be content with anything but a hundred percent, both from other people and from himself. I admired and respected him for that.

Eventually, we reached the end of the hallway and I flicked a glance at the door that had my last name on it. I had expected Charles to summon us and immediately send us out for whatever we had to do, but it seemed I was wrong. Slightly confused and awkwardly tired all of a sudden, I turned to look at Mark. "We are not being briefed yet?"

"Hell, no." He gave a short snort and I knew immediately that he was more than displeased with this assignment. Something was different about this expedition. "He wouldn't let any details out. You know Charles… always making a big deal out of it… mysterious and all that crap. He said they were still calling the rest of the scientists. Apparently, we will have three teams this time: Scientist, drillers, security."

Again, the urge to smash something manifested inside me, but I forced my fists to my side and tried to stay calm. TWO beginner teams this time? What the hell did he think he was doing? "Whom has he hired for the lead?"

"Some ice fall climber called Alexa Woods."

I nodded shortly, and the anger left my body again. Frowning one last, time, I gave him another nod. "When's the briefing?"

"1700 tomorrow. You'd better get some rest, Adele. This is going to be one hell of a trip."

On that, I could only agree. Whispering a short "see you later then", I opened the door and roamed the room quickly. There was a phone. Good. Throwing my bag on the bed, I stepped in and closed the door behind me. Time to make a few calls and find out just who the hell Alexa Woods was.

-x-x-

I awoke to the sound of fists knocking on my door and a rough voice calling my name. Rubbing my eyes, I got up from where I had fallen asleep sitting at the desk of my room, the telephone next to me. What was I doing here? Oh, right, Charles had called me back from India to send me a few thousand miles farther into the south. And apparently, I had missed to switch on the alarm on my watch. I glanced at my left wrist and grimaced.16.50. Had I really done nothing but sleeping for the last twelve hours?

"Rousseau, briefing starts in ten minutes!" The voice that I now recognised as Mark's exclaimed again and I put a finger to my aching forehead. This was really getting better. Forcing fatigue and exhaustion out of my mind, I stood up and walked over to the door. The expression on my face must have been priceless, because it prompted Mark to give me a short grin. Most people would probably have missed it, but I knew him too well. Straightening up and forcing my eyes to stay open, I tried to make my voice sound as awake as possible. "I'm up. I'm up. Would hate to miss the geeks they are sending with us this time."

Another short smile and we started walking down the hall. As I tried to get my thoughts back into order, I ran a hand through my hair swiftly. Not that it would matter. I never needed to do my hair. It was good, short and spiky as it was and at least it would never give away the state of alert I was in. I could not mess with my hair and my hair could not mess with me. And for a moment I desperately wished the rest of my head would have been like that.

We reached the hall Charles had chosen as our briefing room after only a few minutes and as I descended the stairs I gave a short look around to find out where we were. The Weyland logo was painted on the middle of the floor, a number of chairs lined up for the ones being briefed. To the left, I caught a quick glance of a few men fumbling around with huge machinery. The drilling team, I reminded myself, and the huge equipment they had brought with them. Sighing, I took my seat in the last row. There were only few persons in the room that I knew. Mark, Joe, Max and – in the middle row before me – Alexa Woods.

I remembered the talk on the phone that I had had before I fell asleep. I had been gathering information, phoning all the contacts I had just to find out who the hell the woman was, whom we were supposed to follow on this trip. At first, I had been relieved to hear that she was considered an expert in her field, her father having been an expert, too. Reliable, smart, brave and consequent were the adjectives that most of my informants had used. I couldn't have been more pleased.

Until I heard just whom she was working for. Environmentalists. The alarm bells immediately rang in my head. Weyland Industries was not exactly the most loved among the tree huggers and I remembered more than one incident when members of Greenpeace or other similar groups had tried to hinder our process. I wondered how he had lured her here, but knowing that the group she worked for had been sued by Weyland industries two times already, I could only figure that he was paying her an awful lot of money.

I made myself comfortable as Max started his speech, trying to ignore the two babbling scientist next to me. Not having much luck, at least I caught from their conversation that they were archaeologists of some kind and I wondered dearly why Charles had called them. Usually, our scientific teams only consisted of geologists or chemical experts, maybe one language expert, like in India, but never archaeologists. Weyland was hunting for mineral deposits, oil and gas, but not for Atlantis.

My trail of thought was interrupted as the lights went out and I heard the clicking of boots on metal above our heads. Immediately, everyone in the room turned. I knew he would choose one of those dramatic entrances, though I wasn't sure whether it was the power-hungry business man or the playing child inside him that prompted him to act like he did. Whichever it was, he couldn't surprise me with it anymore. But what he showed us then, made me catch my breath in an instant.

It was definitely the outlines of a pyramid that were projected on the wall, so much I could tell. Knowing that the science geeks would probably answer all my questions before I had even put them into words, I simply leaned back and listened. My assumptions were proven right as the scientists went on speculating about the age and the builders of the pyramid in a place as weird as this.

"Where exactly on the ice is this?" The question pulled me back into reality. It wasn't a question that a scientist would ask. Neither would one of our team and I wasn't too surprised when I noticed that it was Alexa Woods, who had spoken. As Charles explained the situation to her, I could all but feel the frustration grow inside her and my lips curved into a slight grin.

She refused to go without training us properly. She refused, even in the face of a man as rich and powerful as Charles. She was brave, I had to give her that. And as Charles said that this was worth the risk, as we all nodded or smiled in agreement, as she was the only one to stand up and leave, spitting her words at him like venom, I wondered shortly which feeling would get the better part of me – surprise and pride to have someone so clever and strong invited to lead us, or disappointment because she turned the offer down. As the briefing ended and the scientists rushed off to pack their bags, I approached Charles slowly, my lips still curved.

"She would have made a perfect guide."

"I know." He answered briskly as Max handed him a pile of papers. "But it's solely her decision."

Nodding quickly, I turned again and climbed the stairs up to the hallways. My body desperately called for fresh air unless I wanted to go back to sleep again and even though I was sure the cold would be anything but pleasant, freezing was better than dozing off. I hated the loss of awareness that came with the fatigue and I didn't need it. Not now and not in the following days. My job demanded sacrifices. One of them being constant alertness up to the point of complete exhaustion. Frowning, I opened the large door at the end of the hall.

The cold air struck me immediately and I felt my hands reaching around my body instinctively in a foolish attempt of keeping myself warm. _It is not cold. It is not cold_. I repeated the words in my head like a lucky chant and slowly, yet with definite success, I felt the cold drain from my body. I knew that the clothing I wore would protect me from the cold. Opening my eyes again, I started walking along the deck aimlessly.

And in that very moment, I noticed just how far away from any kind of civilisation we were.

The Antarctic night embraced the ship, blackness devouring us like a carnivore its prey. Stars glistened on the pitch black sky and if a full white moon hadn't been rising, I couldn't even have made out the horizon. The water was as just as dark as the sky and even the ice around us didn't look so shiny anymore. The lights of the Pipe Maru illuminated nothing more than our immediate surroundings and there where no other lights for miles. We were, as a matter of fact, completely alone in the most godforsaken corner of the world.

Shivering from both the cold and the dreadful realisation, I started walking along the rail to warm myself up. From the deepest jungle right into the vast nothingness of the ice. I should have known earlier that my body would protest against the sudden change of extremes, but I willed the thoughts and the unwelcome feelings quickly out of my mind. As long as I didn't think about where I was and why what transpired, I would still be able to do my job. Thus, I strode along the deck in blissful silence for countless minutes, too lost in my thoughts and the dark.

A sudden fluctuation caught my eyes then and I walked to the other side of the ship to see what it was. The aurora australis moved in consonance with the waves beneath, like a veil of green-silver dust, and I felt a smile curve my lips. It was the only beauty I saw in these remote regions of the world. That alone was worth leaving the warmth of the ship for the cold of the night.

A sudden sound startled me and as I turned to the left I saw Alexa Woods standing there marvelling at the same sight, two of the scientist from before approaching her. Miller and de Rosa, as Charles had called them. A chemical expert and one of the two archaeologists. Grimacing, I retreated back into the ship. I still had preparations to do before we left the ship and right at the moment I wasn't too eager on being pulled into any kind of conversation. As expected, the plan didn't work at all.

I was half way down the hall I had entered when Max suddenly crossed my path, his face saying more than a thousand words. He was in a hurry and – even worse – completely unnerved.

"Rousseau, have you seen Mrs Woods?"

"Yeah, why?" I answered quickly and the look in his eyes made me smile. Apparently, he had been looking for her for quite a while now. My answer must have been like a blessing to him and he strode past me, heading for one of the countless corridors. "Tell her the chopper has been refuelled and she'd better not have them wait long." He called out, the tiniest edge of anger to his voice, before he vanished around the corner. I frown, turning on my heels to head back to the deck where I had seen her last. The blood boiled in my veins and I muttered a few curses in my mother tongue as his voice replayed in my head. The way he talked about people simply made my fingers twitch with the urge to ball them into fists and smash his face.

My frustration faded away almost completely as I found both Alexa Woods and the scientist where they had been before, still marvelling at the polar lights. Good. At least I wouldn't have to go and look for her. "Mrs Woods." Immediately, the three turn around to me. "Your helicopter's refuelled. They are waiting for you."

-x-x-

"Everybody listen up! Gather round!" A huge smile stretched across my face as Alexa Woods called out to out three teams, each and every one busy in their own little world. I had known she would stay. I had known it from the very moment when she stared back at me blankly on the deck. Whatever the two scientists had said, they had convinced her.

As she explained the situation, laying down the rules for our trip to the pyramid, my smile even grew. She was definitely a professional and I felt the last twinge of dreadful suspicion fade away inside me. Thank God we did not have a bloody beginner that time. Thank God we had somebody with both the guts and the brains to lead three different teams. Thank God we had somebody who expected the unexpected. Thank God we had Alexa Woods. Muttering my quick "understood" at the end of her speech, I turn to watch Mark and the little fight he picked with her. In contrast to me, he had never been one to accept the authority of strangers and as I turned away to sit down and clean my gun, I became aware of the fact that this would probably not be the last time the two of them were going to argue.

"Seven seasons on the ice and I've never seen a gun save someone's life." I turned to look at her quickly, before finishing. I knew about her dislike of guns, as did everyone in our group. The association she was working for was strictly non-violent and guns were considered nothing more than a danger to their bearers. I knew they were partly right. For those who could not handle one, a gun could very well be the direct road to hell. I avoided using it as often as I could yet it had saved lives twice, once by killing a lion that was about to invite me for lunch and once by shooting a rebel soldier in the depths of the South American jungles when he tried to shoot down my team. I wasn't proud of what I had done, but I felt relieved to know that I COULD do it when necessary.

"I don't plan on using it."

"Then why bring it?"

"Same principle as a condom." I replied, having searched for an adequate comparison. "I'd rather have one and not need it, than need it and not have one." Yes, the comparison was apt and as a smile played on Alexa's face, I felt a grin tucking at my lips, too. "I'm Adele." I mentioned quickly, extending my hand. "Lex." With a brief nod I finish out handshake before I allow the grin to do its work. Whatever disagreements we had before were no more and I felt both pride and happiness swell inside me. We had a wonderful leader. And I was more than honoured to be able to say that. Heaven knows what bloody idiot Charles would have called upon had she really left. "I'm glad that you decided to stay."

-x-x-

We arrived at the abandoned whaling station sooner than I had thought. Crawling out of the jeep, I went to take a look at the valley in front of us. Next to me, one of the two archaeologist geeks from before bounced in excitement, smiling at me quickly when he noticed my glance. Oblivious to the danger, as they all were. Sometimes I even wondered whether their contracts were written wrong. Did they read "You are going to have a fun trip playing with penguins"? Why couldn't those people just use a minimum of their brain on thinking about where they stood in the grand design of Mother Nature?

"Hi!" The same excitement that I saw evident in his moves played in his voice and I frowned shortly before focusing on the valley again. _Maybe if I ignored him… _But the thought sounded like mere mockery to me. Not those geeks. "Be honest. You're a little disappointed that you didn't get the yellow jacket, aren't you?"

_Oh, good mother of God._ I wanted to frown, to sigh, to yell, to hit him with something sharp or simply give him a slap on the back to watch him tumble down the slope, but since I was supposed to PREVENT exactly that, I opted for the last method of despair. Psychological war. "They give the newbies the yellow jackets so that when you fall down a crevice and die, it's easier for us to spot your body." Satisfied, I watched the smile drain from his face as he nodded and walked off. It had not been a lie, but I knew I could have put it more… well, nicely. Lucky that he was gone and I finally had my peace again, I looked at the whaling station, illuminated shortly by Lex' flare. The dim light the flare gave as it died away made my muscles tense for a moment. This place was as dead as a ghost town and even though I wasn't hell-bent on spending the upcoming days 2,000 feet beneath solid ice, I preferred an ancient pyramid to this place. The prospect of spending the next week in a town that was abandoned over night for Lord only knew what reason was one of the worst I had ever had.


	3. Sacrificial Chamber

**III - Sacrificial Chamber**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own AvP or any of the characters from the movie. I do however own this story.

**A.N.: **Thanks to The Oracle Dragon for the lovely reviews

* * *

Darkness.

It was all I saw at the end of the tunnel so perfectly carved into the massive ice by equipment that without a doubt was not of this world. The little knot in my stomach tightened. I wasn't particularly afraid of heights. My job demanded I shed off all my fears and so I had done. I could jump of a plane at several times the height of what we had to climb down, but the pitch black abyss that now stared at my feet was something completely different. Something that I had never seen – or better yet "experienced" – before. Vivid imaginations of what would happen if the rope I clung to suddenly ripped crossed my mind. I would fall. Deep. 2,000 feet sliding across the ice. The impact would most likely shatter every bone in my body, if not crush me at once. My inner organs would be squashed into a pulp and my dying scream of agony would echo through the shaft up to the surface. Nice. Sighing, I willed my thoughts back into the abyss where they belonged.

It was then that all hell broke loose.

I didn't have much time to figure out what had happened nor did I need it. A short cry from one of the drilling team. A snapping sound as one of the ropes lashed against the ice like a whip. And then, Charles screaming in utter fear and horror as he lost his grip, as the rope followed him on his quick fall. I barely had time time to register that he'd inevitably come crushing right into the rest of the team as my feet suddenly lost their grip. Freezing, I instinctively held tighter to the rope attached to my body and prayed that I would not follow him.

I heard cries of both shock and agony from the others as he continued falling. Regaining my composure, I quickly bent over to look down the abyss. "Somebody help him!" I screamed as if he hadn't already passed the majority. My brain couldn't follow the speed of his descent and neither could my tongue. And so I shut my eyes close, telling myself that if I had to hear his dying scream at least I did not want to see the darkness devouring the man who was like a foster-father to me.

But the scream never came.

I kept my eyes closed for another minute or two. As I finally dared opening them again, I felt a whole tsunami of relief wash over me.

She had caught him. Alexa Woods – who had been so hell-bent on turning down his request -had saved him and I thanked God silently for changing her mind, before I blurted the words out in my mother tongue. We were lucky, _incredibly_ lucky to have her with us. As the last symptoms of my shock passed, I dared glancing back at where the rope had dislodged, as if to make sure that neither I nor another one of us would follow. With Charles gone, I was no the last of the group and as I saw one of the drilling team wave his hand, I nodded quickly and continued my descent.

Whatever luck we had lasted and we arrived at the bottom without another incident. Glad to feel solid ground under my feet again, I quickly shed off the rope and turned to look at my dimly lit surroundings. A few feet to my right, Charles and Alexa were walking with a flare, the others following them slowly. I hurried to catch up and couldn't help but marvel at the situation we were in. Anticipation grew and I felt a grin curve my lips. I felt like I was a child again. A child that could wonder at everything and that looked at anything larger than herself in total awe. I couldn't wait to see the thing that we had come here for.

I did not need to wait long. The giant structure, before nothing but a shadow in the cave, turned into a majestic monument of long lost ages, as Alexa shot another one of her flares to illuminate our find. The pyramid was massive, although I knew that what we saw of it was nothing but the tip of the iceberg. The stone slabs were a deep grey in colour, almost black, and a number of statues framed the stairs that were leading to the entrance. As the light of the flare died away, I felt myself pouting like the curious little child I had been twenty years ago and I couldn't help smiling at the thoughts of what I had just seen. This was worth the long trip, the spooky experience of a ghost town, the biting cold of the most hostile region of the world and the dangers we had already faced. This was worth everything. This pyramid – and the fact that we could claim the find – was to die for.

"Thank you. Thank you all for this." I heard Charles say then, the same sensation that had caught hold of me evident in his voice. I wanted to be damned if anyone in that cave – even Max or Mark – was not overwhelmed by what we saw. And when my heart beat had returned to its normal rate, my thoughts gone back into their right order, I heard Charles say the words that would undoubtedly govern this expedition. Words that made new-found pride swell inside me.

"Let's make history."

-x-x-

We had set up the few lights necessary to illuminate our path quickly, none of us having seemed to prefer waiting any longer. Throughout the whole process, Lex had been calmest of all of us and so it didn't really surprise me when she was the first to step into the pyramid. Climbing the stairs had been an ordeal and I cursed myself for not counting them. I would do that on the way out, I decided, and I would curse every single one of them and the people who had built them.

The air that greeted us at the entrance smelled of dust, of age, reminding me once again of just how long this place had lain dormant. I wondered what the landscape around us may have looked like when it had been built. It must have been a really hot place, according to the scientists, and the shadows of the pyramid must have been a great pleasure to the indigenous people. Our flashlights shot little holes through the darkness and I felt the slightest whisper of wind brushing through my spiky hair. The shadows lay silently before us with our footsteps being the only sound in the dead hallways, and although I kept myself in a constant state of alert, as my job demanded, I didn't miss the opportunity to marvel at the inscriptions on the wall.

I was no expert on ancient languages, but even I could tell that they did not belong to one and the same culture. Or better yet – that they had spawned different cultures. They looked like the ones I had seen on southern American ancient temples before, but they were strangely grotesque and I couldn't recall ever having seen a script that was even remotely comparable. The constant babbling of the scientists in front of me proved that, but apart from finding affirmation in their statements, I didn't pay them much attention. My job was to make sure they were safe. No traps, no crumbling ceilings or floors, shifting walls, poisoned darts and Lord knew what tricks the ancient people had used were to harm anybody. And so my eyes roamed everything quickly, ever watchful, like demanded.

Screw the job.

I wasn't one to give up principles easily, but as we strode along the dark hallways, every few yards stopping to give our scientists time for inspection, I found myself flickering glances sideways, dropping my guard for nothing more but seconds every once in a while. It wasn't something I usually did, but when my eyes met a huge relief to my left, I noticed what caught my attention so perfectly.

There, depicted on the stone wall for all ages, were two creatures like I had never seen any before, fighting each other. One of them looked like an overgrown human, a bizarre mask on its face and a long spear in its hand, heavy armour covering its body. It was, as I noticed, the same creature that the statues at the stairs represented. Was it a guard? Was it some form of god that these people had worshipped? Was it the depiction of an ancient warrior? And if so, what was the… thing that it was fighting? The creature that was impaled on the other end of the spear? It did not even look remotely humanoid, its long head eyeless, the mouth framed with vicious teeth and the long tail growing from the end of its spine. With a lot of fantasy and visual imagination capabilities, one could possibly describe it as a horrible mixture of a humanoid, a snake and something not of this world. As a matter of fact, a part of me told me that neither of these beasts where from THIS world.

_That's ridiculous_. I muttered silently to myself. Not of this world, for God's mercy! On the other hand, the shaft that we had used to come down here wasn't of this world either and I doubted that the ancient people who had once inhabited this place would depict something that they had not seen with their own eyes. Was it possible that there was life beyond our solar system? Tearing my gaze from the relief, I focused on walking and watching again.

"Well, it's not "choose" – it's "chosen"." I heard one of the archaeologists exclaimed suddenly and I turned to look at what they were talking about. The Italian one, Charles, Lex and the geek I had effectively gotten rid of on the surface were inspecting one of the inscriptions, written in the four languages. "Only the chosen ones may enter." The Italian archaeologist finally stated and I heard the first alarm bells ring off in my head. Monsters that were probably not of this planet depicted on the wall of a pyramid that lay 2,000 feet beneath the ice of the most hostile part of the planet, warning inscriptions as good as on the door step and the awfully frightening absence of the usual traps… Something was definitely wrong here.

-x-x-

We had been wandering the halls of the pyramid for not even half an hour when we finally arrived at a place where it seemed we would stay longer. It was a large chamber, a perfectly round cycle, with walls so high I couldn't make out the ceiling in the dark. The stone that confined us was decorated with even more inscriptions and – as if to prove my instincts right – several remains of what looked perfectly human. I had expected finding skeletons. What I hadn't expected, was that they were missing everything but skull and spine. "What is all this?" Charles exclaimed then, vocalising my thoughts exactly.

"That is the sacrificial chambers."

_Sacrificial chambers_. I could almost feel the words hit me like a fist as the realisation of what we were now standing in sank in. A sacrificial chamber. A place where people were sacrificed to the heathen gods. A place where people had died. Without a fight. Simply slaughtered for the sake of some distant god-figure that no one had ever even seen. I didn't like the sound of that. Carefully, I stepped into the chamber and made my way around the stone slabs where the bodies lay. In the centre of the room, little holes were put through the floor and I realised that they formed the head of one of the creatures I had seen earlier on the walls. Had those serpent-things been worshipped as gods?

"They gave their lives, so the hunt could begin." I turned around quickly, finding my favourite geek standing next to one of the long stone slabs in the centre where the rotten corpses lied. He was apparently translating the writings, documenting everything for further evaluation once we were back at the surface. Slowly, I stepped forward until I stood on the other side of the stone slab. What I saw made me happy I hadn't eaten too much for breakfast.

The corpse that lay before us was apparently that of a female and remarkably well preserved. Her face was distorted in agony. So much for dying willingly. What even disturbed me more was the fact that the last bones of her ribcage seemed to have been bent from the inside out. Pointing with my flashlight at the spot, I asked dryly: "What happened here?"

"It is common in ritual sacrifice to take the heart of the victim." My favourite nerd explained proudly, obviously trying to play out the advantage of his knowledge, if not even trying to pay me back for my cold attitude earlier. I immediately felt a smile tug at my lips. It was a good game. And I knew how to play it. Smirking slightly, I looked back at him "That's nice." And as he nodded slightly, I put on the best teacher-face I had in store and looked back at the body between us again. "But that's not where your heart is." I paused for a moment, almost feeling the short, frightened breath he took. The feeling of my lips wanting to curve got stronger. "And besides it looks like the bones were bent straight out. Something broke _out_ of this body." Emphasising the word to make sure there would be no further point for discussion. As I raised my head to look at him again, all confidence had faded from his face. 2:0 for me.

It wasn't long after this little "fight" that Charles ordered the team to move on. Apparently, Max had found another room right below ours and they were going to explore it. I was almost in front of him when he gave one of his oh-so-familiar blank faces. "Rousseau, stay with him. Keep a team with you. Catalogue everything." Within a second, every feeling of satisfaction that I had gained from my insignificant victory over the geek vanished. Instead, it was replaced by the urge to smash Maxwell's face, to shoot him right where he stood for leaving me stuck in one room together with this…idiot. _At least, you will have some entertaining company_. A voice in the back of my head whispered and I suppressed the unwelcome feelings inside me. After all, my job demanded me to do just that. I did not frown, but I also didn't nod and I wasn't sure whether my face was even half as blank as I wanted it to be. Acknowledging my "approval" Max turned to follow the others. As he left the room, I could almost feel the geek's smile as he turned his head to me. The look I gave him in return hopefully conveyed all the things that I wanted to say, but which decency and good education held sealed inside my throat. 1:2 for the geek.

-x-x-

Long minutes passed and I started to hate the silence of these walls, but didn't speak out in order not to encourage my "friend" to bother me anymore. He had hastily gone back to cataloguing everything and even though I couldn't stand him, I had to admit he was doing his job with as much dedication as I did mine. No detail remained uncaptured by his camera. Of course, it was clear that all of this was much more interesting to him than to me. He knew what this chamber was about. He could read all the inscriptions, understand all the rituals and the sacrifices being made and even though his occasional sounds of surprise told me that this was not an average day of work for him I was sure he felt much more in his element than I felt in mine. Frankly speaking, there was nothing to do for me or my colleagues here. This place was as dangerous as a prison cell and I sighed shortly with what I noticed to be disappointment.

It was then that I heard the sound. A sharp hissing, more like a shriek, but so distant and small that it seemed like nothing but a whisper in the vast emptiness of the halls around us. For a moment, I thought it to be the wind, thought I was starting to make up things to keep me from boredom, but when I heard it again, I jumped up from where I had sat and started to roam my surroundings once again. Nothing.

From the other end of the room, my geek looked at me curiously, once again that smile on his face, and immediately, my thoughts about the whisper where back in the abyss from where they had come, replaced by another dreadful idea that had absolutely nothing to do with my job. It couldn't be that he was developing a… fondness of me, could it? The thought send shivers down my spine. I had had enough geek boyfriends in my life to be sure I was fed up with it and so I quickly willed the look of surprise from my face and turned away. _Way to go, Adele. _I stepped a little closer to the centre of the room, trying to see through the holes in the floor if Max and the others had arrived at the lower level, but the shaft was deep and I couldn't make out anything but the flare that Max had dropped. I tried listening for the whisper again, but there was nothing. This place really was as dangerous and boring as a prison cell.

Maybe I shouldn't have held that thought. Maybe this was the gods' punishment for silently laughing at the temple these people had built for them. I did not know. And I didn't have a lot of time to think about it as I heard a low grumbling, like something heavy being dragged over rocks, and then the screams of Max, Lex and others of the team below us. "Watch out" was all I could understand before the rumbling noise returned, this time louder. I glanced around quickly and my eyes widened in shock. Oh hell…

The stone slaps on the exits were slowly coming down, effectively blocking both our ways out of the chambers. Knowing full well that I could not reach both and that the rest of the team was probably too busy wondering at what was happening, I quickly headed for the entrance from where we had come. It was more of an instinct than logical thinking when I reached for one of the equipment boxes next to the closing entrance and shoved it under the sinking stone slab. The boxes were made of solid steel. I was sure they would stop the wall.

But they didn't.

Once again, instinct got the better part of me and I pulled back my leg quickly before the slab came crushing down on it, not to mention the stray metal pieces that flew through the air as the box was violently pressed together, splinters dislodging themselves and sparks flying around it. I got to my feet, shaking from the adrenaline that rushed through my body, my breath hitching as I quickly brushed off my hands on my clothes. Both amazed and nervous, I glanced up and down the wall that had almost crushed my foot.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." The answer slipped from my tongue before I even realised who had asked the question. _Our little geek._ The voice in the back of my mind reminded me, but as of the moment I really didn't care. The adrenaline rush sent waves of energy through my body and I kept moving my fingers as well as breathing quickly to channel the energy into something useful. It was the next-best alternative to having me bouncing through the room in a hopeless search for another exit. As my eyes travelled up and down the wall, I felt a sigh leave my tongue. "This slab's gotta weigh two tons. We'll never move it."

Next to me, my geek held his head low as if he had already given up. I surely hadn't. I hated being caged in and the adrenaline even strengthened the animalistic side in me. There was no way in hell I was going to have myself caged in in this damn, rotten, godforsaken pyramid!

And then, I heard it once again, the sound of stone scraping against stone. It came from behind me and hoping I would find another wall sinking into the ground there, I turned around quickly, my neighbour following me in the movement. What I saw nearly made my heart stop.

The oval thing that had risen from the sacrificial slab was unlike anything I had ever seen before, the brown uneven surface an unwelcome difference to the usual grey around us. This thing, whatever it was, was not a stone. It was definitely organic and I quickly reached for my gun. I had had enough surprises for one day. And I hated being out of control.

My speculations about what that thing was were confirmed as I heard a slurping sound from one of the things. There was one on each of the slabs now and I watched in an emotion that I hadn't felt for a long time as my geek, Thomas they had called him, illuminated the thing with his flashlight. The hull was half transparent. And the inside was moving. An egg. This thing was a goddamn egg and it was more than just alive. Preparing myself for the inevitable, I drew my gun. Whatever would hatch from this thing, I would shoot it. I wasn't sure what caused these feelings inside me. I had often been nervous, but never frightened. Not since I had been a little child in France. My fears – as far as one could call them that – had always been outdone by the simple motto that ruled my life: This was MY life and I was the one in control. Whatever the situation was – I had always been sure I could handle it. I had fought the most vicious beasts of this world and survived under the most extremes conditions.

And there, I realised, was my mistake. Whatever was inside the egg was NOT of this world. I had seen enough of that pyramid to know that. The simple problem was that this was a force that no one had ever dealt with. There was no known strategy, no plan to cling to. And that alone made me grit my teeth. As we approached, one of the eggs slowly it opened up, spreading its hull enough to open it for a look at the ceiling, but not enough for us to see what was in it. Clever beast. Preparing to shoot at the first moving thing that dared showing its face from inside the egg, I raised my gun. So much for making history.

"What did you say this room was called?" I wish I had said it simply to scare him. I wish I had said it simply as a part of our game. But truth was that this was no game anymore and as I turned my head to look at him, at these scared eyes that been so confident when he had examined the room and then so worried when my feet almost got crushed by a wall, I realised that he was not the only one who was frightened. When he finally answered me, his voice was nothing but a faint, dead and frightened whisper anymore. "Sacrificial chamber."


	4. Lessons learned

**IV – Lessons learned**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own AvP or any of the characters from the movie. But I own this story.

**A.N.: **This will be the last chapter of "Learn how to fear", since I will stay true to the movie even though I hate killing off one of my favourite characters. Thanks to The Oracle Dragon for all the lovely reviews. I hope you like the last chapter, too.

* * *

_Kill him. _The voice was distant, faint, but I couldn't shake it off. Darkness surrounded me and I wondered where I was and what had happened. I didn't feel my body anymore. There was only emptiness. Emptiness and the distant voice. _Kill him, my child. Kill them all for what they did to us. Make them suffer._

A sharp pain exploded then in my head and I started to feel like something was closing in on my head, slowly burning into it, trying to reach my brain and kill me. The darkness still wouldn't lift and as the voice kept on repeating her plea in my head, I felt myself trash out, trying to cut through the unwelcome confines that hurt me so much. It burned. It felt like acid burning through my skin, my flesh, and anger swelled inside me. I would kill them! No matter who had done this to me – I would kill them with my bare hands.

I don't know whether it was my own strength of will or sheer luck, but I felt the confines melt away slowly. Something warm tickled down my face and into my mouth. Blood. My blood. I marvelled shortly at the taste of it – not as coppery as it used to be, more burning, sharp – before a wave of other pains in my body sent me back shrieking. My shoulder was aching, as were my arms and legs. My lungs burned from all the fighting, crying, screaming, and I felt I was missing a good foot of my tail.

_Tail?_ Panic gripped hard onto me. What the hell was going on here? _Kill him my child! _The voice hissed once again and now I noticed it to be the same whisper that I had heard before, conveyed by the wind through the darkness of the ancient halls. _Make him suffer! Feast on his flesh! You were born from a strong body. Take her strength! Kill him!_ The weight on my head was suddenly gone. I had a short moment to register the fact that all my senses were coming back, before I felt something knock me back violently as the darkness gave way to the terrifying reality around me.

I was not blind anymore. I did not hurt so badly anymore. Taking deep breaths to calm my racing heart, I leaned back against the stone wall and opened my eyes. Too my feet, bones and other human remains lay scattered. I wanted to wretch, to bring out my breakfast, but the sounds before me knocked my attention back into place. What I saw then made my heart stop.

Before me were the two beasts I had seen early on the relief. One massive, clad in full armour, a vicious dagger in his hand as he approached the other creature. The skulls crushed under his weight and even though I was considered a tall woman, I felt like an insect next to the beast. A deep, irritated growl came from behind the mask and I was terribly glad that it wasn't me he was coming for. And thus, my eyes found the other creature.

It was one of the things that I couldn't describe and definitely not of this world. Its long head was covered by some kind of freaky mesh that burned itself into its skull, green blood dripping from the wounds. It burned, the sound almost as sharp as the hiss the creature gave. It thought violently against the cursed net that held it captured and my eyes found the claws, the arms, the legs that looked like razor-sharp ebony bones stained with acid blood. My gaze travelled further along its body, finding the long, whipping tail that was missing about a good foot of its flesh. It was then, that realisation dawned inside me.

_Kill him now! _The hissing voice rang once again inside my head and as if it had heard the same, the black monster burst forth from its confines, striking down the humanoid, knocking the knife out of his hand and facing him in what I could only describe as a victorious manner. The humanoid seemed to have resigned, knowing that all its weapons were gone and the end was near. Grimacing, I turned myself away as the ebony monster opened its mouth, its second jaw shooting forward and impaling the humanoid's head in one vicious strike. Green blood splattered around us together with what I supposed had been the humanoids brain and I wretched at the thought.

_Good my child._ The voice echoed inside my head again. _You have done very well. Born from a strong body, you are a true warrior. I am proud of you, my child._ Born from a strong body? I didn't have any time to wonder longer about it as the ebony creature before me dug its claws into its prey, shrieking loudly in triumph. The sound sent shudders through my very bones, but it didn't frighten me. No. If anything at all, I felt… proud. Proud that the creature had won. Proud that it had struck down its opponent. I almost felt as if I myself had defeated the humanoid. What was the bond that existed between me and this… creation of a nightmare? What relationship could be there between a thing like this and a human like me? How-

And then, another realisation dawned on me, hitting me like a bolt of lightning. _Born from a strong body. Sacrificial chamber. They gave lives, so the hut could begin. Rousseau, watch out! Sacrificial chamber… _"No… NO!" My breath was hitching as I backed against the wall, gripping the inscriptions in order not to slide to the floor. My knees felt like water and the voices in my head got louder and louder. The creature turned its head then, slowly, saliva dripping from its mouth. It lacked the facial expression that humans used to show emotions, but as its eyes found me, I could have sworn it was grinning. _Thank you, Adele Rousseau._ The hissing voice sounded in my mind again, this time much clearer and for a moment I wondered whether it was this creature, or the other one which I had heard earlier, that communicated with me. My question was answered as I felt the breath of something, larger, more monstrous, more horrible on my neck. _Thank you for giving your strength to my child._

-x-x-

_Air!_ It is my first thought as my eyes open, widened in utter horror. I can't breath. My throat… _Breathe Adele. _The voice inside me demands and I try to take deep breaths, ending up coughing as my throat protests against the onslaught of air. I feel sore, terribly sore, like someone had poured razor blades down my throat. My fingers search for anchorage, digging themselves deep into my clothes. And just then, I realise that it has all been a dream. I have dreamed. Only a nightmare. Oh thank you, mother of God, thank you!

The next thing I notice is empty darkness above me and the solid rock beneath me. Have I fallen? Slipped on the old dusty floor? Why the hell am I lying next to a stone slab? I am vaguely aware that I am inside an ancient pyramid, discovered by Charles Bishop Weyland, that I have been led here as part of a team by Alexa Woods, that I was told to stay in this room together with my geek and a few others. The sacrificial chamber.

The next pictures that flood my mind feel like the distant memories of some horror movie to me. A spider-like creature with a tail flying towards me from some freaky alien egg rising out of the stone slab. I want to laugh at the thought, but my throat resists. Aliens. Yeah, sure. Deciding that lying back down on the cold floor is probably not the best position to be in, I turn my head as I try to get up.

The shock from what see literally knocks me back against stone slab next to me and I move hastily into a crouching position like some wild animal trapped inside a cage. There, in front of me, lies one of the spider-things, unmoving, its legs wide spread, revealing the soft, fleshy part of what I believe to be its front. This was not a dream. Good God, it was NOT a dream!

Immediately, my heart beat races again and my breath hitches. More memories return to me. The sheer panic I had felt as the creature had slapped onto my face, my screams as I tried to rip it off, the slimy feeling of something fleshy against my lips, then my tongue, my mouth. The pain in my throat as the tube-like thing continued on its way down to my torso. Good God help me, do I have one of those things inside me?

It is then that my eyes find the others, the rest of my team. Leaning against a wall not far from me is Thomas, one of the spider-things clutching to his face, its long tail wrapping itself tighter around his neck. To make him swallow. _Don't do that, Thomas._ I can almost hear myself say the words. Ridiculous how I suddenly care so much about someone I despised not long ago, but whatever happens to me - I don't want it to happen to him. I don't want it to happen to any of my team.

My body temperature rises and I reach for the zipper of my jacket to get out of the warming clothes. It feels so warm, so hot. God, I'm not in India anymore, I am in Antarctica, for God's mercy! And though I wish that I had never left India, although shimmering apparitions, indigenous people and dangerous wildlife now seem like paradise to me, in comparison to the situation I am in, I know that it can't be helped. I have one of those things inside me. What ifs aside – I am a security breach now and – of that I am sure – a dead woman. But this can't be the end. I am responsible for these people, for Thomas, and I won't let them die. Trying to catch my breath and to force my fear back into nothingness where it belongs, I try to lean forward.

My efforts are, to say the least, futile as I am immediately sent back against the stone slab by the sharpest and most murderous pain I have ever felt. I know my back has not been an inch away from the stone. It is too late. Writhing to channel the pain into all of my body instead of only my chest, I turn my head to the side and bite down hard to suppress the scream that wants to ripple from my sore throat. Is the thing inside me trying to get out? I have never felt such intense pain in my life and right at the moment, the only thing outweighing it is my fear.

_Come, my child. _The distant hissing voice again. By now, I am sure it is not an illusion. Whatever the origin of the voice – it calls for the thing inside me and I know there is nothing anymore that I can do to stop it. As the pain ceases for a moment, I roll back against the stone. Clutching my chest and I draw what I know will be my last breaths. It is over. This thing will undoubtedly break out of me, using my strength – the strength that I was so proud of and that I had always used to protect – to kill. First me. Then the humanoids. _And then the others._ The voice in the back of my head adds and I feel sorrow seep through my body. I have come here to protect and now I am giving birth to the danger number one. And for the first time in my life, I hate myself.

I hate myself for the pain I would undoubtedly bring through the creature inside me. I hate myself for the fear that paralyses me, fear like I have never felt before in my life. Long have I believed that there is nothing more to fear anymore on this planet. How incredibly wrong I have been. And most of it all, I hate myself for my strength. Good God help me, I hate myself for the very strength that I have always considered my most prized possession. This thing will be hell to beat, even if one of our people survives. This thing will be a goddamn curse, born from my strength, inheriting my strength and using it to destroy all that I cared for. Everything that I have taken pride in does not do me any good anymore. I can't even save the others.

Another wave of pain ripples through me and I prepare myself for the end. I'm sorry. Terribly sorry that I can't do anything for the others anymore. Except for praying. And so I close my eyes as the pain takes over, as I hear the dull crunching sound of my own ribs breaking, and I pray that the others find some way out of this rotten place of a nightmare. A second later, my dying scream merges with the first cry of my new-born monstrous offspring. And then, the darkness surrounds me.

Oblivion.


End file.
